Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yomarquette’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yomarquette’, characterized by its upright and uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching and vigorous growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering response; early and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with purple-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘YOMARQUETTE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a potted Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yomarquette’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time and excellent postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in March, 2000, in Salinas, Calif. of a proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedling selection identified as code number YB-6275, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedling selection identified as code number YB-5681, not patented not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. in December, 2001. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time and excellent postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in March, 2002. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Yomarquette have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yomarquette’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yomarquette’ as a new and distinct potted Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright and uniformly mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching and vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Uniform flowering response.     -   5. Typically grown as a center-budded or as natural spray type.     -   6. Early flowering habit, seven-week response time.     -   7. Freely flowering habit.     -   8. Decorative-type inflorescences with purple-colored ray         florets.     -   9. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good         substance and color for about three weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more vigorous than plants         of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about one week earlier         than plants of the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the female parent         selection differ in ray floret color as plants of the female         parent selection have pink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller inflorescences         than plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower about two weeks         earlier than plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yojamestown, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,813. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Fort Myers, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yojamestown in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were taller than plants of         the cultivar Yojamestown.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week         earlier than plants of the cultivar Yojamestown.     -   3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the         cultivar Yojamestown differed in ray florets coloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yomarquette’.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Yomarquette’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring in Leamington, Ontario, Canada during the spring in a polycarbonate-covered greenhouse and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 22.5° C., night temperatures averaged 18° C. and light levels ranged from 4,000 to 6,000 foot candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched about two weeks later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants used in the photographs and for the description were center-budded and were about two months old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar     Yomarquette. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-6275,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number YB-5681,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of             about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten days at             temperatures of about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine to thick, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum             typically grown as a center-budded or as a natural spray             type. Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving a             uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching             habit, about four to five lateral branches develop after             removal of terminal apex (pinching); dense and full plant             habit. Strong and vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 29 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 44 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 24 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Internode length: About 1.5 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent. Color: Darker than 144A to 146A. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 5.7 cm.         -   Width.—About 4.2 cm.         -   Apex.—Cuspidate to mucronate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes             mostly divergent.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Fine pubescence; veins             prominent on lower surface.         -   Color.—Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface:             Darker and more green than 147A; venation, 147A to 147B.             Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: Darker             than 147B; venation, 147B.         -   Petiole length.—About 2 cm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 3 mm.         -   Petiole color.—Close to 146B to 146C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences home on             terminals above foliage. Disk and ray florets arranged             acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescence not fragrant.             Typically grown as a center-budded or as a natural spray             type.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower             in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other             times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development             can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at             least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early flowering habit; plants             exposed to two weeks of long day/short night conditions             followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions             flower about seven weeks later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an interior             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering, about nine to             ten inflorescences develop per lateral stem, or about 36 to             50 inflorescences per plant.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 7 mm.             Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 146A to 147A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.7 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.5 cm. Diameter of disc: About 1 cm; inconspicious.             Receptacle diameter: About 5 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially             upright, then about 90° from vertical or perpendicular to             peduncle. Aspect: Initially incurved, then mostly flat.             Length: About 2.5 cm. Width: About 7.5 mm. Corolla tube             length: About 3 mm. Apex: Acute, emarginate or cuspidate.             Base: Attenuate; short corolla tube. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous, satiny.             Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 142 arranged             in numerous rows. Color: When opening, upper surface: 71A.             When opening, lower surface: 155D underlain with 77A. Fully             opened, upper surface: 71A to 155D overlain with 71A. Fully             opened, lower surface: 155D more faintly underlain with 77A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About             4 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per             inflorescence: About 24. Color: Immature: Close to 145A.             Mature: Apex: 9A. Mid-section: 145D. Base: 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence:             About 20. Length: About 5 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape:             Linear. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Texture, upper surface:             Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color,             upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface: Close to             146A to 147A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: First peduncle: About 5 cm. Fourth             peduncle: About 6.25 cm. Seventh peduncle: About 9.4 cm.             Diameter (first peduncle): About 2 mm. Angle: About 40° from             vertical. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: Close to 144A to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Filament length: About 4 mm. Filament color: Close to             155D. Anther shape: Oblong. Anther color: Close to 12A.             Pollen amount: None observed. Gynoecium: Present on both ray             and disc florets. Pistil length: About 4 mm. Stigma shape:             Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 12A. Style length: About             2.5 mm. Style color: Close to 145D. Ovary color: Close to             157A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated good tolerance to low temperatures of about 1° C. and     high temperatures of about 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yomarquette’ as illustrated and described. 